We all have a busy week ahead, so let us March Fourth right into today’s Key Reads…
If you thought the Governor would at least agree with the legislature on income tax cuts for the middle class and retirees — you were mistaken. Last week’s Friday News dump included the announcement of yet another Evers’ veto.
Evers vetoes Republican-backed bills slashing the income tax, cutting taxes on retirees – Associated Press
Gov. Tony Evers on Friday vetoed a nearly $800 million income tax cut passed by Republicans, along with bills that would have increased the income tax credit for married couples and raised the amount of retiree income exempt from the state income tax.
Republicans who voted to pass the bills in February said they were designed to make Wisconsin more attractive for families, middle-income earners and retirees. But Democrats said there were better ways to do that.
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Evers was refusing to support tax cuts that would benefit the middle class. And Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu called it “unconscionable” to not enact the tax cuts given the state’s $3 billion budget surplus.
Ruth Stryzewski says the keys to a long life are wine, prayer and chocolate. We should pay attention to her. She’s 112.
Wisconsin’s oldest living resident, Oshkosh’s Ruth Stryzewski, shares keys to long life as she turns 112 – Oshkosh Northwestern
Born on Feb.20, 1912, “Aunt Esther” is actually older than her beloved Green Bay Packers, Fenway Park and the Girls Scouts of America, and is just six days younger than the state of Arizona.
Ruth’s longevity doesn’t come as much as a surprise to the family though, considering her sister Marie Misterek lived to 103 while two other siblings made it to their 90s.
Ruth also had a cousin, Lydia Koehler, who lived until the age of 100.
Even when our governor and legislature actually agree on something, the bureaucrats find a way to mess up things.
Wisconsin politicians wrangle over new recommended reading curriculum list – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Under the state’s reading education reform law, passed last summer by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, the first big step is coming up with a list of reading curriculum choices recommended for schools statewide. The process has picked up controversy and may come to a head within the next several days.
That may leave some school districts pushing against deadlines to introduce new reading programs by this fall. And adoption of the curriculum recommendations will open the way to more action: selection of a screening tool to be used in assessing the reading skills of early grade children throughout the state three times each year, hiring of reading coaches to help some schools around Wisconsin, launching a state office of literacy and more.
Yeah, that was the point of the legislative package. School districts must act with urgency to improve literacy. The ability to read, and read well, is a passport for all future education. Many school districts in the state are failing their kids and they need to address it, now. Kudos to the lawmakers who didn’t provide a long implementation period so students would be underserved for an additional five to ten years.
But as the article above mentions, the bureaucrats at the State Department of Public Instruction are bristling at the legislature’s involvement in curriculum design and may be diminishing the impact and success of the initiative before it even begins.
How this all plays out will be crucial to students’ success. We will be keeping an eye on this issue.
Former UW Badger player and assistant basketball coach Howard Moore made an emotional return for the Kohl Center on Saturday. in 2019 Moore was severely injured in a car accident that took the lives of his wife and daughter. It’s been a rough year for the team, but Moore’s story offers not only perspective, but inspiration.
We’ll lend today’s Key Reads by leaving you with his emotional story. We encourage you to click this headline to see video of the touching moment…
Howard Moore is honored in return to the Kohl Center – WISC
Tragedy struck the badger family several years when former Badger basketball player and coach, Howard Moore was involved in an accident, severely injuring him and taking the lives of his wife and daughter. Today he came back home at the Kohl Center, where he will be honored for the example he continues to be.
“I think from a national perspective, not everybody in the world has a chance to see the type of person that Howard is. And the type of strength that he has to overcome this situation that he’s going through,” says former Badger great, Michael Finley.
Click on the headline, above, to watch this emotional tribute.
